JPS6230599B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an analog display device for an electronic timepiece that displays timepiece contents in an analog liquid crystal display. An object of the present invention is to realize a liquid crystal display type analog display device similar to a needle type analog display device using a small number of electrodes.

BACKGROUND ART Electronic clocks with analog displays using liquid crystal displays have a high level of novelty and design, and a considerable variety of products have recently been announced. However, basically, the circle is divided into 60 radial segments, and in order to display the hour hand and minute hand in the same system, it is divided into two circles inside and outside.
Since the 120 pixels are divided, the pixels are thinner, and the hour hand in particular is not as thick as a regular hour hand, which makes it feel strange, and the pattern of the electrodes on the inner periphery is complicated. An example of a conventional analog display electrode is shown in FIG. For simplicity, the line electrode provided on one substrate is shown on the left side of the break line, and the block electrode provided on the other substrate is shown on the right side of the break line in the same drawing. There are 5 line electrodes arranged in a meandering motion 6 times around the circumference, and 12 block electrodes arranged inside and outside in a double concentric circle, for a total of 29 electrodes. As another example, it is possible to use 10 line electrodes and 12 block electrodes, for a total of 22 electrodes.
As the line electrodes move around more, the display ineffective area outside the center and outer periphery becomes wider. It is unsuitable for small displays such as watches.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks, and realizes design efficiency, ease of pattern arrangement, and reduction in the number of terminals. That is, in the present invention, on one side of the display electrodes involved in analog display, the line electrodes divide the display area into approximately two equal parts, and each area is arranged in a meandering manner with 2 to 5 line electrodes, and on the other side of the display electrodes, the line electrodes are arranged in a meandering manner. The electrodes are a plurality of electrodes including the same number of line electrodes and facing each other, and the display device is an electronic timepiece in which two areas are divided into two areas, each of which is arranged symmetrically to the area boundary.

2, 3, 4, and 5 show the first, second, third, and
4 represents the electrode division of the embodiment. a is a line electrode provided on one substrate of the liquid crystal display device,
b is a block electrode provided on the other substrate, and for convenience, the lead wire portion is simplified with a solid line. Second
The figure shows an example of 10 line electrodes and 6 block electrodes. 2 with the center line 21 within the display area indicated by the broken line 20
It is divided into equal parts. Five line electrodes are arranged on each side in a meandering pattern that makes three reciprocations, while the block electrodes appear to be divided into 12 sections, but they are divided into 2.
Each of the equally divided regions is arranged symmetrically connected to the region boundary 21, and is substantially divided into six regions, each of which faces each other and includes ten line electrodes. In this electrode arrangement, even though there are 10 line electrodes, the pattern can be enlarged by rotating every 5 lines, and 60 pixels can be freely displayed with a total of 16 electrodes.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment with 6 line electrodes and 10 block electrodes. With this electrode arrangement, only three line electrodes are needed for each rotation, and the pattern can be made even larger than in the first embodiment. Total number of electrodes is 16
Can display 60 pixels. Figure 4 shows six line electrodes,
This is a third embodiment with four block electrodes. A total of 10 electrodes can display 24 pixels. This is an example for displaying the hour hand of a clock. FIG. 5 shows a fourth embodiment with four line electrodes and six block electrodes. This is also an example for displaying the hour hand, and a total of 10 hands can display 24 pixels, and compared to other examples, it is possible to place the hand shape as far as the center.

The present invention further has two or more systems of analog display areas, and among the display electrodes involved in each analog display, the line electrodes can be connected in common, and the block electrodes can be independent. FIG. 6 shows a fifth embodiment, which is a combination of the second embodiment and the third embodiment. However, block electrodes are shown in Figures 3 and 4.
Since it is clear in the figure, only the line electrodes are shown. The left side can display the hour and minute hand, and the right side can display the minute and minute hand and/or second hand, and the number of electrodes is 6 lines.
Since there are 14 books and blocks, a total of 20 books can be displayed, with two long and short ones or three. In the conventional example, the number of electrodes was 29, so this is a significant reduction in the number of terminals. Further, the wiring for leading out the electrodes is also simplified.

Further, according to the present invention, it is also possible to display images by overlapping two or more liquid crystal displays having analog display areas. Furthermore, it is also possible to have display electrodes for digital display at the same time. Figure 7 is the 6th
This is an example, and shows a specific display in which two display bodies are stacked and analog display and digital display are performed simultaneously. In other words, the clock in the figure shows 10:10 on the analog display on the left, 1:40 on the analog display on the right, and Monday the 6th on the digital display. It is assumed that the scale and center are printed. The lower side is the first display body, and its electrode configuration is that two systems of the second embodiment are connected, and 120 pixels for analog display are driven by 6 line electrodes and 20 block electrodes, and the upper side is the second display body. , whose electrode configuration is the third
Two systems of the embodiment are connected, and 48 pixels for analog display are driven by 6 line electrodes and 8 block electrodes, and 32 pixels for digital display are driven by 2 common electrodes,
Driven by 16 segment electrodes. The total number of electrodes is 58. The first display displays 2-system minutes, and the second display displays 2-system hours, digital display, and date. As is clear from the diagram, the minute hand is long and thin, and the clock is designed to be thick and short, making it very similar to a hand-type analog clock.
Easy to see and read. The second example of this embodiment in FIG.
The block electrode and segment electrode side electrodes of the display are shown. In particular, in the digital display section, pixels are shaded with diagonal lines in different directions due to differences in common electrodes.

The circuit components necessary for an electronic timepiece include an oscillation circuit, a frequency dividing circuit, a counter circuit, a decoder circuit, a drive circuit, a switch circuit, etc., but since they are well-known technical contents, their explanation will be omitted. However, there are mainly two types of display driving methods, each of which has advantages and disadvantages, so these will be explained below. That is, a voltage averaging method V-2V, 1/2 duty method and b voltage averaging method V-3V, 1/3 duty method. In the a method, the voltage level is 3 and the power supply circuit and driver circuit are simple, but a common set of analog display line electrodes results in a two-hand display. In the sixth embodiment, according to this method,
The digital display is also a 2-common type. In method b,
Although the circuit is somewhat complicated, each set of analog displays will display three hands. If the sixth embodiment is applied, a second hand can be additionally displayed on either the left or right side. Further, by applying the fifth embodiment and its right-left inverted configuration to the electrode configuration of each display body and overlapping them, a second hand can be added to both the left and right sides. The number of digital displays can be reduced by about 5 lines.

FIG. 9 is a waveform diagram of the drive signal of the V-2V, 1/2 duty method. 32Hz and 64Hz are reference frequency signals supplied from the frequency dividing circuit. C1,C
2, C3, and C4 are signals applied to the line electrodes, which periodically take three values of 0, V ₀ , and 2V ₀ . Here, V ₀ is the battery potential and 2V ₀ is the double boost potential, or
Alternatively, 2V ₀ is the battery potential and V ₀ is the half-stepped potential. S12, S23, S34, S41, and S00 are signals applied to the block electrodes. S12,
S23, S34, and S41 are rectangular waves that take two values of 0 and 2V ₀ , and S00 is a constant potential wave of V ₀ . When the subscript numbers of the S-system signal and the C-system signal match, the effective value applied to the liquid crystal layer becomes √2.5V ₀ , which is ON; in the opposite case, the effective value becomes √0.5V ₀ , which turns OFF. be. For example, it is ON for C1 and S12,
It is OFF in C1 and S23. Which C is S00?
It is also turned off for system signals. Signal selection is as follows. Assuming a two-hand display, signal C4 is applied to the line electrode that selects only the right hand, signal C2 is applied to the line electrode that selects only the left hand, signal C3 is applied when both hands are selected, and signal C3 is applied to both hands. If no selection is made, signal C1 is applied. S34 is applied to the selection block electrode of the right needle, S23 is applied to the selection block electrode of the left needle, and S00 is applied to the block electrode that does not select either.

FIG. 10 is a waveform diagram of the drive signal of the V-3V, 1/3 duty system. Here, V ₀ corresponds to the battery voltage, and 2V ₀ , 3V ₀ , etc. correspond to double boost, triple boost, or if 2V ₀ , 3V ₀ , etc. are the battery voltage, and V ₀ is the step-down potential. good. The d-based signal is applied to the line electrode, and the p-based signal is applied to the block electrode. If the subscript numbers of the signal names match, the effective value applied to the liquid crystal layer becomes √113V ₀ and turns ON.
In the opposite case, the effective value becomes V ₀ and is OFF. d0 can be any p-based signal, p00 can be any d
System signals are also turned off. Signal selection is as follows. Assuming 3-hand display, set d1 to the selection line electrode of the first hand and d2 to the selection line electrode of the second hand.
, d3 is applied to the third needle selection line electrode, and d0 is applied to the non-selection line electrode.If the selection line electrodes of the second and third needles overlap, d23 is applied. p1 for the selection block electrode of the first needle, p2 for the selection block electrode of the second needle, p3 for the selection block electrode of the third needle, p23 for the common selection block electrode of the second and third needles, and p23 for the selection block electrode of the second and third needles. P for the block electrode
Apply 0.

The details of the function as an electronic timepiece are not directly related to the present invention, so a description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, according to the analog display device of the present invention, the relatively simple display electrode structure allows
It is possible to provide a liquid crystal display type analog display that is similar to a needle type analog display. Furthermore, since the number of electrodes can be reduced compared to conventional analog displays, it is particularly useful when applied to small wristwatches.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a conventional analog display electrode. FIGS. 2a and 2b are configuration diagrams of analog display electrodes according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3a and 3b are block diagrams of the second embodiment. Figure 4 a and b are the third
It is a block diagram of an Example. FIGS. 5a and 5b are configuration diagrams of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a line electrode of a fifth embodiment, which is a combination of the second embodiment and the third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a specific display example of the sixth embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of block electrodes and segment electrodes on the second surface of the sixth embodiment. 9th
The figure is a drive signal waveform diagram of the V-2V, 1/2 duty method. FIG. 10 is a drive signal waveform diagram of the V-3V, 1/3 duty method. C1, C2, C3, C4, d0, d1, d2,
d3, d23... Line electrode signal, S12, S
23, S34, S41, p0, p1, p2, P
3, p23... Signal for block electrode.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Analog time measurement content using 2m radial segment areas defined by overlapping areas of line electrodes provided on one substrate and block electrodes provided on the other substrate of a liquid crystal display device. In the analog display device for an electronic watch that displays m radial segment areas, m radial segment areas are arranged in each of a first area and a second area that divide the display area into two, and n adjacent radial segment areas are arranged in a group. m/n groups are formed, n line electrodes are provided in each of the first region and the second region, and one line electrode overlaps the radial segment region of each group. The block electrode has a shape that connects the first block electrode with the first block electrode.
and m/n block electrodes each arranged in a second region at positions facing the groups on a one-to-one basis, and arranged symmetrically on the boundary line between the first region and the second region. An analog display device for an electronic watch, characterized in that the display devices are interconnected.